Spark-extinguisher.



c. H. ODBR & J. H. BAKER.

SPARK EXTINGUISHER.

APPLICATION FILED MAB. so, 1914.

1,1 1 9,448, v Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

Cm H-Oder 2 ATTORNEY.

'HL NORRIS PEIERS C0 F'HOTO-LITHLL. w s! ICE.

CARL H. ODER AND JAMES H. BAKER, OI? FAIRFIELD, ILLINOIS.

SPARK-EXTINGUISHER.

Specification 01 Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1,1914.

Application filed March 30, 1914. Serial No. 828,271.

To all to]: om it may concern Be it known that we, CARL. H. Oman and JAMES H. BAKER, citizens of the United States, residing at Fair-field, in the county of Wayne and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spark-Extinguishers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

Our invention has relation to improvements inautomatic spark extinguishers; and it consists in the novel details of construction more fully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,Figure 1 representsa side elevation of the extension-front of a locomotive boiler showing our invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan and horizontal section on the line 2.-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a still further enlarged, side elevation of the device, parts being broken away; Fig. 1 is a top plan of the device at the point of connection thereof with the stack, a portion of the latter being indicated in cross-section; and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a portion of a modified form of the device.

The present inventon is particularly directed (though not restricted) to locomotive boilers, the object sought being to construct a device mounted in the engine stack which will automatically, and concurrently with the discharge of steam (exhaust or otherwise) into the stack, so moisten the cinders and sparks projected through the stack as to effectively and positively extinguish them, thereby rendering the same harmless and making impossible the starting of a fire should the sparks and cinders lodge on inflammable or combustible objects along the right of way of the railroad. The dampening of the cinders and sparks will likewise prevent injury and damage to crops, grass, forests and growing vegetables in the vicinity of railways. a

The advantages of the invention will be fully apparent from a detailed description thereof which is as follows:

Referring to the drawings, and for the present to Figs- 1 to 4 inclusive, 1, repre sents the extension-front or smoke-box of a locomotive boiler, or that portion from which leads the smoke-stack 2. Into the front 1 is adapted to discharge the steaminto the petticoat the combustion blower or nozzle 3 the jets being projected or lift-pipe l which directs products into the stack. These features are well understood in the art and require no further description.

In the present embodiment of our invention, We tap the boiler B below the waterline at a point adjacent the front 1, by means of a pipe 5, shell by brackets 6 or otherwise, and pro vided at a convenient point with a conventionalucut-ofi? valve V, the pipe leading along the side and over the top of the boiler, where it terminates in a 5, secured to the main tional union 7. The pipe 5' discharges into a valve-casing 8 of conventional T- shape design, said casing being provided pipe by a convensecured to the outer vertical extension with a chamber a from which leads a discharge port or passage it normally closed by. a valve 9, the stem 10 of which extends through one leg of the casing and through and beyond a stufling-box 11 coupled to the casing, the outer terminal of the valve-stem being connected to the adjacent outer terminal of a slide-frame 12 whose opposite terminal assumes the form of a rectangular sleeve or collar 19 sliding looselyover the pipe 13 leading from the port it of the valve casing. The end of the pipe 13 beyond the sleeve 12 is received or screwed into acentral opening of a block 141 riveted to the outside of the stack 2, a second pipe 15 leading from the same block the stack, and terminating in the stack in a perforated spherical spray-head 16 secured to the pipe by an elbow 17 or equivalent manner. The width of the collar 12 is such as to overlap of the block 141 ently to appear.

Pivoted to, and loosely embracing the sides of the block 14, and passing freely (Fig. 1) for a purpose presthrough the walls of? or project beyond, the sides through slots or openings 0 in the stack walls, are the forked terminals 18, 18, of a vertically oscillating tripping lever 19 disposed in the path of discharge from the n0zzle 3 and lift-pipe 4:, the free end of the lever being expanded so as to present face to the jets of steam and gases impinging against its under surface. The fork members 18, 18, terminate in cam formations or lobes 20, 20, which bear against the portions of the collar 12' block 14 (Figs. 3, 4,), and naturally with overlapping the ample sur- F an upward oscillation of the tripping lever (or valve-controlling lever 19) the collar 12 and hence the slide 12 of which it forms a part, will be pushed or moved outwardly Normally, the collar 12 along the pipe 13. is held against the block 14 by the action of a compression spring 21 encircling the pipe 13, one end of the spring bearing against an abutment or nut 22 passed over 29 thereby against the collar 12 of the slide 12 coupled to the valve-stem 10, the length of the latter within the stufling box 11 and the casing 8 being carefully adjusted by the nut n which secures the stem to the slide.

The operation will now be readily understood from the foregoing description and is substantially as follows: Assuming the normal position of the parts to be as indicated in Fig. 3, it is apparent that when the throttleis opened and the engine starts to operate and exhaust through the nozzle .3 into the stack, the impact and pressure of the steam and gases against the bottom face of the {lever 19 will force the lever upwardly (see dotted position, Fig. 3), thereby causing the earns 20 to push on the collar 12 and force the slide 12 outwardly. This movement of the slide produces a pull on the valve-stem 10, thereby unseati'ng the valve Q. If the valve V is open, water, under pressure of the steam in the boiler behind it, will be forced from the boiler through the pipes 5, 5, valve casing 8, pipes 13, 15, into and out of the spray-head l6, minglingin the stack 2 in the form of a spray, with the hot and glowing Cinders and sparks, and thus wetting and extinguishing the same. The lever 1-9 acts automatically under the impact of thesteam and gases against it, and it only requires the opening of the valve V to complete the operation. In the drawings, a conventional valve V is illustrated, but in practice it would be connected up in any suitable way known to the skilled mechanic, so that the same could be operated from the cab of the engine. Such connections, however, are

not here illustrated, because they are altogether too common to require description.

When the exhaust of the engine is turned into the atmosphere (after the fire is well underway) the lever 19 drops to its lowest position which is quite obvious from the drawing. In so doing, the spring 21 (which suffered compression with the lifting of the lever) will force the collar 12 back against the block '14 thereby pulling on the slideframe 12 and pushing on the valve-stem 10 and seating the valve 9. The degree to which the valve may open can be determined and regulated by a proper adjustment of the nut 22 which regulates the tension of the spring.

Insome cases it may be desirable to supplement the action of the steam of the boiler which drives the water through the pipes to ward the spray-head 1G, by pneumatic pressure derived. from compressed air or other gases. In that case the pipe 5 may be provided with a branch 25 below the water line 00, leading to any suitable source of compressed air or gas supply. The pressure of such air or gas assists in driving the stream as it'fleaves the valve casing as quite obvious from Fig. 5 in which such a modification is .shown- In this figure the parts illustrated are identical with those already described and are identified by the same reference numerals. 1 I

it is of course obvious that the device may be altered in many particulars, without in any wise affecting the spirit of theinvention; and we desire it to be understood that we do not wish to restrict ourselves to the details shown.

Having described our invention what we claim is 1. In combination with a locomotive smoke-box and stackthereof, a pipe leading from the water space of the boiler and terminating in a spray head in the stack, a valvecasing in the path of the pipe, a valve in the casing provided with avaIVe-stem passing out of the casing, a spring-controlled reciprocating slide member mounted on the pipe and coupled to the valve stem, a lever hinged to the stack and oscillating in the stack in one direction under pressure of the gases flowing through the stack, and formations on the lever'engaging the slide member for actuating the same and unseating thevalve with the oscillation of the lever by the gases as aforesaid.

2. In combination with a locomotive smoke 'boX and stack thereof, a pipe leading from the water space of the boiler, a valve A casing for receiving the discharges from said pipe, a second pipe leading from the valve-casing through the wall of the stack, a spray-head in the stack forming the termn nal of said second pipe, a port-c0ntrolling valve in said casing,a stem leading from the valve through and out of the casing, aslideframe mounted to reciprocate over said second pipe and terminating in 'alcollar atthe end adjacent the stack, a vertically oscillating lever in the staclnsuitable formations at the axis of the lever engaging the .collar aforesaid, a spring encircling the second pipe and having one end bearing against the collar of the slide frame,a, n adjustingnuton the second pipe bearing against the opposite In testimony whereof we aflix our signaend of the sprmg and servlng as an abuttures,1n presence of two witnesses.

ment therefor, and means for coupling the CARL H. ODER.

outer end of the valve-stem to the adjacent JAMES H. BAKER. 5 end of the slide-frame, the parts operating Witnesses:

substantially as, and for the purpose set W. H. ATLEBERRY,

forth. 0. S. POORMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

